Door check mechanism



June 3, 1952 G. H. LOGAN nooa CHECK MECHANISM Filed July 1:5. 195o M 51;@ y @59C Patented `lune 3, 1 952 Vnoon CHECK MECHANIs-M George H. Logan, Chicago, Ill., assgnor, by mesne assignments, to George W. Houlsby, Jr., Chicago, Ill.

Application July 13, 1950, Serial No. 173,629

4 Claims. l

This invention relates generally to door check mechanisms and more particularly to those door check mechanisms in which an operating unit is adapted to mounting in the floor or building structure adjacent the end of a door, and which door check mechanism includes an arm secured to the doorfor providing a door mounting and operating connection to the operating unit.

One of the general objects `of this invention is to provide, in a door check mechanism, coacting parts by which a door is connected to an operating unit, and which parts are constructed and arranged to aiord ease of door installationand adjustment.

More specically and in one aspect, my invention comprehends the provision of a door supporting arm having a socket therein for receiving the spindle of an operating unit, which socket lits the spindle with relative snugness in a direction lateral to the plane of the door and is elongated in a direction parallel to the plane of the door, thereby to provide for ease of mounting the door on the spindle.

As another object, my invention has within its purview the provision of a door supporting arm adapted to mounting on the spindle of an operating unit and including adjustable elements by which the angular position of the door may be readily and quite precisely adjusted in reference to the spindle when the door is in place on the spindle.

My invention has for a further object the provision of an arm by which a door is secured to the spindle of an operating unit of a door check mechanism and which includes a part readily accessible when the door is mounted for adjusting the height of the door relative to the spindle.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawing in which similar characters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the one sheet of drawing:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a door check mechanism embodying a preferred form of my invention and wherein the position of a door in relationship thereto is illustrated fragmentarily by dot and dash lines;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevational View of the structure depicted in Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an end sectional view wherein the 'section is taken substantially on a line 3-3 of Fig. 2 and in the direction indicated byarrows Fig. 4 is a fragmentary top sectional view,

drawn to lan enlarged scale and wherein the sec- 2 tion is taken substantially on a line 4-4 of Fig. 2 and in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side sectional view taken substantially as indicated by a broken line 5 5 and accompanying arrows in Fig. l.

In the exemplary embodiment ofmyinvention which is shown herein for illustrative purposes, the disclosed door mechanism embodies an operating or control unit I0 which may, for example, be of. the type and general structure shownin the co-pending application of Martin Carlson, Serial No. 139,831, filed January 21, ,'1950, now Patent No. 2,585,625, dated February 12, 1952,`and entitled Door Check Mechanism. Considered generally vfor the purposes of this application, the voperating or control unit `I i! is adaptedto mounting in flush relationship to the floor of a building at one side of a door opening. l The operating and control mechanism thereof is enclosed Within a housing I 2 and acts through a rotatable spindle I3 for supporting and controlling the movements of a door I4, the axis of the spindle I3being located substantially on the hinge axis'or axis of swinging movement of the door. Acting through the spindle I3, the operating and control unit' I0 tends normally to hold the doorv in a closed position in the general plane of a door frame, returns the door to its closed position at controlledrates after it is swung to an open position, andv may releasably retain the door in a wide openposition.

' In the installation of a door with a doorcheck mechanism of the type herein referred to,'it is desirable, in addition to the adjustments provided in the operating unit itself, to provide for the ease of placement and adjustment of the door upon the spindle I3 of the operating unit. For such purposes, I have provided an arm I5 having a relatively thin elongate portion I6 adapted to be secured to a surface 'of the supported'door. In the present instance, the elongate portion I6 of the -arm is adapted to extend along the bottom edge of the supported' door and has a series of spaced openings I 'I therein through which fastening means, such` as screws, extend torsecure the door in position thereon. At one positionk and lat one end of the elongate portion' I6 of the arm, the head portion I8 is integrally formed thereon and projects laterally therefrom.

The outer end of the head portion I3 of the arm is of relatively thick section and has a socket I9 extending inwardly from its lower surface in a direction lateral to the longitudinal dimension of the elongate portion I6 of the arm. rThe left-hand cylindrical half of the socket as viewed in Figs. 1 and 4 is concentric with andl of a :readily understood that stood :that I have 'structure which not only mcreases the ease of size to fit the corresponding cylindrical end portion of the spindle I3 with relative snugness. The other half portion of the socket is elongated from true circular shape in cross section as shown in Figs. 1 and 4 so as to provide for ease of mounting the door upon the spindle I3 when the arm I5 is securedto the door. It may be readily understood that in effecting the mounting of a door upon a spindle, it is much easier to locate the socket and for the door to drop into place with the socket elongation thus provided in one plane. Since it is generally easier to effect lateral placement of the door, I prefer to have the elongation of the socket in a direction parallel to the elongate portion of the arm and thus parallel to the general plane of the door. Furthermore, by having the elongation in only one plane, the arm may be locked in position and precisely located without a plurality of relatively angularly disposed locking elements.

For providing adjustment of the elevation of 'the door to which the arm is secured, I have provided a set screw which is threaded into a bore 22 at the upper end of the socket. The

bore'22 is preferably smaller than the diameter of .the socket and adjoins the socket in a direction parallel to vthe axis thereof. 'By adjusting the position of the set screw 20, which abuts the end of the spindle I 3, as shown in Fig. 5,

the elevation of the arm is varied in respect to the spindle.

As rshown in Figs. 4 and 5, a flat surface 23 is provided on one side of the spindle at the end thereof which fits into the socket. This surface, in the disclosed embodiment, and by preference, normally faces in the direction of elongation of the socket I9. `iubsta-ntially parallel bores 24 .and 25 extend through the side wall of the head portion I8 of the arm and open into the socket I9 on'opposite sides of the socket axis. As shown, these bores have axes which are substantially parallel to the elongate portion of the arm and are also substantially parallel to the axis of velongation of the bore I9. Set screws 26 and 21 are threaded into the bores 2-4 and 25 respectively and have inner end portions which are adapted to engage the flat surface 23 of the spindle 4when the arm is in place with the spindle in the socket.

After the arm has been placed upon the spindle .and a proper setting of the set screw `20 has bee-n effected to establish the proper door height, the set screws 26 and `2i .may be tightened. The latter Vset screws not .only serve to lock the arm in place upon the spindle. Vbut also may be adjusted to eifect an angular adjustment of the arm position relative to the spindle. ItV may be by loosening one of the set screws and tightening the other, the adjusted position of the arm relative to the spindle may be varied between positions such as those indicated at I5 and I5a in Fig. 4. By the use of this adjustment, together with those normally provided in the operating mechanism, the position and movements of the door can be regulated so that it is in proper relationship to the door frame when closed, and avoids engagement with obstructions .and the like in the wide open posi- 'tion :From thefforegoing description and reference to the accompanying drawings, it may be underprovided a door mounting mounting the door :upon the operating unit of 4 a door check mechanism, but which also provides readily accessible and easily adjusted parts for determining the elevation and normal angular position of the door relative to the spindle of the operating unit.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modications may Y be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth,- but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope ofthe appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and vdesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a door check mechanism which acts through a rotatable vertical spindle having a flat side portion thereon to support and control the movements of a door, theV combination comprising an arm having an elongate door supporting portion adapted to extend along and be secured toa surface of a door, said arm also having a Yhead portion projecting angularly to one side of the elongate portion and having a socket therein with a vertical axis for receiving the spindle, and a plurality of set screws threaded into the head portion of the arm and extending laterally into the socket for abutment with the vflat side of the spindle on opposite sides and transversely of the socket axis, so. that the position of the arm may be `adjusted angularly with reference to the Aspindle by changing the positions of the set lwith a vertical axis for receiving the spindle, said socket being elongated in a direction substantially parallel to the elongated portion of the arm, and a plurality of set screws threaded into the head portion of the arm and extending laterally into the socket for abutment with the flat 4side of the spindle on opposite sides and transversely of the socket axis, so that the position of the arm may be adjusted angularly with reference to the spindle by changing the positions of the set screws.

In a door check mechanism which acts through a rotatable vertical spindle having a fiat side portion thereon to support and control the movements of a door, the combination comprising an arm having an elongate door supporting portionadapted vto extend along and be secured to asurface of a door, said arm also having a adjustment of the position of the arm axially of the spindle, and a plurality of set screws threaded into the head portion of the arm and extending laterally into the socket for abutment with the -at side vof the spindle on opposite sides and transversely of the socket axis, so that the position of the arm may be adjusted angularly with reference to the spindle by changing the positions :of the set screws.

4. In a door check mechanism which acts through a rotatable vertical spindle having a flat sid'e portion thereon to support and control the movements of a door, the combination comprising an arm having an elongate door supporting portion adapted to extend along and be secured to a surface of a door, said arm also having a head portion projecting angularly to one side of the elongate portion and having a socket therein with a vertical axis for receiving the spindle, said socket being elongate in a direction substantially parallel to the elongate portion of the arm, a screw threaded into the head portion of the arm and extending axially into the socket for abutment with the end of the spindle to effect adjustment of the position of the arm axially of the spindle, and a plurality of set screws threaded into the head portion of the arm and extending laterally into the socket for abutment with the REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,655,485 Wheelock Jan. 10, 1923 2,004,187 Bomrner June l1, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 18,283 Great Britain l- Aug. 8, 1912 

